Malnourished baby starved alone for up to a week after grandmother's death

A lone baby survived up to seven days without any food or water after her grandmother died at her Tennessee home, police said.

A lone baby survived up to seven days without any food or water after her grandmother died at her Tennessee home, police said.

Anthony Waldo went to check on his girlfriend's 15-month-old daughter at Annette Ineichen's home on Sunday.

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He was horrified to find the baby starved and her grandmother dead in the bathroom, he said on Facebook.

Tracy Ineichen, the mother, realized something was wrong after she wasn't able to reach Annette for several days.

A 15-month-old girl is recovering from severe dehydration after she was discovered living alone with her dead grandmother in Maryville, Tennessee, on Saturday. (GoFundMe)

The 28-year-old mom wasn't able to check on her child herself because she has been at Blount County Jail since Sept. 5, records showed.

Waldo said he saw Brier Ineichen, the 15-month-old baby, reach out from her crib inside the grandmother's locked room.

He broke the door down and rescued the baby, but realized something was wrong, he said.

The mother was unable to check on the baby herself because she had been in jail since September. (Facebook)

"When I grabbed her, she just couldn't hold her head up," Waldo told WVLT. "She was just hugging on me and collapsed on me."

The baby was so dehydrated, it couldn't cry, he said.

Waldo realized the grandmother died at least three days ago, and that the baby had been starving since. Police said the baby could have been starving alone for up to a week.

Officers said the baby smelled like urine and had swollen lips when they arrived. The toddler was rushed to East Tennessee Children's hospital, and treated for her severe dehydration and malnourished condition in the intensive care unit.

The mother was able to take a leave of absence from her jail time to help her child's recovery and deal with Annette's death.

Police believe the grandmother may have died from a medical condition.

Waldo started a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs, housing and medical costs for Brier, who is still recovering from the ordeal. The GoFundMe raised about $400 before it was deleted for unknown reasons.